The invention relates to a liquid filter, especially for the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine, which comprises a cylindrical or pot-like housing with a screw-on cover, having an outlet or drain for residual liquid included in the screw-on cover. The invention furthermore relates to a filter cartridge which is suitable for installation in the liquid filter of the invention.
A liquid filter of this kind is disclosed, for example, in DE 196 44 647 A1. This filter has a cylindrical housing with an opening for the installation of the filter cartridge which faces downward, and into which a screw-on cover can be installed after the filter is inserted. The inlet and outlet for the filter are situated in the cylindrical housing, i.e., in the upper part of the filter. Thus the filter and especially the screw-on cover are always filled with the liquid being filtered, even when the filter is not in operation. This makes it difficult to change the filter cartridge since this residual liquid can escape into the environment when the cover is unscrewed. Therefore a threaded drain plug is provided in the screw-on cover at its geodetically lowest point, which must initially be unscrewed to remove the residual liquid in the screw-on cover in order to make it easier to replace the filter cartridge.
The proposed liquid filter is used in particular as an oil filter in internal combustion engines. Here the available space is often very limited due to other components in the engine compartment. Consequently, the removal and replacement of the drain screw often involves problems. Moreover, the oil running out of the drain hole has to be collected, and due to the restricted space this is often possible only under burdensome circumstances, since a drain vessel of sufficient capacity cannot be placed under the drain hole.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a liquid filter with a liquid drain in the screw-on cover.
A further object of the invention is to provide a liquid filter which can be reliably emptied even when installed in a limited space.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a filter cartridge which is suitable for installation in a liquid filter with a liquid drain in the screw-on cover and which facilitates reliable emptying of the filter even when the filter is installed in a limited space.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a liquid filter comprising a housing with an inlet and an outlet for a liquid to be filtered, said housing having a downwardly facing, filter cartridge installation opening and a screw-on cover for closing said cartridge installation opening, a filter cartridge disposed sealingly in said housing between said inlet and said outlet such that liquid from said inlet must pass through the cartridge to reach said outlet, wherein said screw-on cover is provided with a drain through which liquid may be discharged from said housing before changing the filter cartridge, and said drain is provided with a connection for a removably attachable draining device.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the objects are achieved by providing a liquid filter comprising a housing with an inlet and an outlet for a liquid to be filtered, said housing having a downwardly facing, filter cartridge installation opening and a screw-on cover for closing said cartridge installation opening, a filter cartridge disposed sealingly in said housing between said inlet and said outlet such that liquid from said inlet must pass through the cartridge to reach said outlet, wherein said screw-on cover is provided with a drain through which liquid may be discharged from said housing before changing the filter cartridge, wherein said drain comprises a drain opening disposed on a central axis of said housing and cover; said drain being sealingly closed by a valve stem which is connected to said housing such that it is axially movable in said drain opening when said screw-on cover is moved.
The liquid filter of the invention is intended for installation in a downwardly hanging position. That means that the opening in the cylindrical housing for the insertion of the filter cartridge, which is closed by the screw-on cover, faces downward. It is not necessary, however, for the axis of the housing to be vertical. It is also possible to orient the housing such that its central axis extends downward at an inclined angle. It is not necessary for the housing to be a separate component. It is also conceivable that it could be formed together with another component, for example, the engine block.
In the screw-on cover there is an outlet or drain for residual liquid, which according to the invention has a connection for a draining device which is installed for the purpose of draining the residual liquid, and which can be detached again after the liquid residue has been removed. This has the advantage that in the immediate area of the drain, space needs to be available only for connecting the draining device. The draining device can be connected to the drain, and the drain is subsequently opened. The draining device conveys the liquid to a collection container provided to collect it. As soon as the liquid residues have been removed from the housing, the draining device can be detached so that it no longer interferes with the opening of the screw-on cover.
In one specific embodiment of the invention, the draining device comprises a hose which can be attached to a mating hose connector on the screw-on cover. This variant constitutes an especially easy way to create a draining device. In this way large expenditures for components can be avoided, which contributes to the economical nature of the solution. Such drain hoses are easy to obtain and are available in workshops which service internal combustion engines.
An alternative embodiment envisions forming a drain in a filter of the type described above, by providing a valve stem which closes the drain hole by means of a seal. The seal can be an O-ring, for example, but it is also possible that the valve stem itself provides such sealing function due to the material from which it is made. The valve stem is connected with the housing such that its axial movement is limited with respect to the central axis of the housing. This is to be understood to include the possibility of providing no axial play at all for the valve stem. The stem can, for example, be screwed to the housing or connected by detent connections which snap into the housing. When the screw-on cover containing the round drain hole is loosened, it shifts relative to the valve stem whose axial movement is limited. Thus the seal of the valve stem is removed from the drain hole and the drain hole is automatically opened so that the liquid can drain out. As soon as the liquid is drained out, the screw-on cover can be unscrewed completely from the housing in order then to change the filter cartridge.
An advantage of this embodiment of the invention is that the drain hole is automatically opened by the partial unscrewing of the screw-on cover. Consequently, the plug for the drain hole does not have to be accessible to special tools, such as a wrench. Since there is no need to provide working space for a tool to open the drain, the liquid filter according to the invention can also be installed in confined spaces. The result is a greater freedom in the geometrical configuration of the internal combustion engine.
An advantageous embodiment of the invention results if the valve stem is mounted on a support tube which in turn is fastened in the housing. This also results in a limitation of the axial play of the valve stem with respect to the housing. A support tube must be provided in most applications in order to support the filter cartridge against the pressure difference which exists across the filter medium. If the valve stem is attached directly to the support tube, it can have a shorter construction than if it is attached to the housing. Thus the stability of the valve stem is improved and material is saved. This leads ultimately also to an improvement of the economy of the solution.
An especially advantageous embodiment of the invention results when the support tube is releasably fastened both to the housing and to the screw-on cover. In this case the connection to the screw-on cover must be provided with axial play, which ends at an axial abutment or stop when the cover is screwed on. Its attachment to in the screw-on cover must furthermore require movement only in an axial direction, and not in a radial direction, to make it possible to screw on the cover. The range of axial play which is formed by the stops in the screw-on cover, must be less than the axial movement of the screw-on cover that is necessary to open the drain. This causes the support tube to initially remain in the housing when the screw-on cover is opened, so that the valve stem is withdrawn from the drain hole in the screw-on cover as described above. The residual liquid then can drain out of the screw-on cover. When the cover is opened further, the support tube reaches the axial stop in the screw-on cover. Since greater force is required to release the support tube from this axial stop than the force holding the support tube in the housing. Therefore, when the liquid filter is opened, the support tube remains in the screw-on cover. If the filter cartridge is fastened accordingly, it remains on the support tube, and it can thus be removed from the housing together with the screw-on cover. This facilitates uncomplicated replacement of the filter, particularly when the available space is very restricted. In particular, the last drops of oil which drip from the filter cartridge are caught by the cover, so that an even cleaner filter change becomes possible.
The combination of the two solutions offered by the invention is especially advantageous in restricted spaces. This means that the drain hole is automatically opened by the unscrewing of the cover, and by providing a draining device the discharged residual liquid can be carried to a collection container. Two especially advantageous possibilities are envisioned for attaching the draining device, preferably a drain hose, to the drain hole provided with a valve stem.
The hose connection, e.g. nipple, for attaching the drain hose can be formed by the drain hole itself in the screw-on cover. This hose connection points outward, so that a hose can be attached before the screw-on cover is unscrewed. The flexibility of the hose permits the screw-on cover to be rotated a few revolutions so that the drain hole is automatically opened.
Another possibility is to provide the valve stem at its extremity with a tubular discharge end. This forms the drain opening and is provided with openings therethrough. When the filter cartridge is in the installed state, the openings through the valve stem are covered by a tubular sleeve in the screw-on cover. When the cover is unscrewed, the bores shift to a position interiorly of the screw-on cover, so that the residual liquid can pass through the bores into the drain end. In this way it is possible to drain the residual liquid out of the filter.
It is advantageous to design the discharge or drain end as a hose nipple. The drain hose can be attached to such a nipple as described above. This has the additional advantage that the valve stem does not rotate when the cover is unscrewed. This simplifies handling when changing the filter, since the hose can be brought to an accessible place before the cover is unscrewed and remain there during the screwing movement.
To improve the operational reliability of the filter, a bypass valve can be provided in the support tube. If the support tube is connected to the cover through an axial stop, this connection must be permeable to liquid to permit access to the bypass valve. Otherwise the bypassing liquid could not enter the internal space formed by the support tube, which makes it possible to bypass the filter.
In accordance with the invention, the filter cartridge necessary for the filter replacement described above can be equipped beforehand with a support tube into which the valve stem is integrated. The support tube can be releasably connected with the filter cartridge, or the support tube and the filter cartridge can be permanently connected to each other. The seal between the filter cartridge and the support tube can be provided directly by the end plates of the filter cartridge. The support tube, however, can also be cast in one piece with at least one of the end plates resulting in a permanent connection. In this case the support tube will always be replaced together with the filter element.
These and other features of preferred embodiments of the invention, in addition to being set forth in the claims, are also disclosed in the specification and/or the drawings, and the individual features each may be implemented in embodiments of the invention either individually or in the form of subcombinations of two or more features and can be applied to other fields of use and may constitute advantageous, separately protectable constructions for which protection is also claimed.